


Ocean Tales 1

by Jacie_popslash (Jacie)



Series: Popslash: The Ocean Tales Series [1]
Category: NSYNC, Popslash
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fantasy, M/M, Ocean, Surfing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-07
Updated: 2007-01-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 17:27:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1907562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacie/pseuds/Jacie_popslash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joey sees something at the beach, but Lance doesn't believe him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ocean Tales 1

**Author's Note:**

> Posted to AO3 on 06 July 2014
> 
> Written for ravenbat's request:  
> Joey tells one of the guys (JC, Chris, Lance, Nick, Howie - you pick) that he's been seeing things, things that should be immaginary (unicorn, dragon, faerie, ghost, purple people eater, gremlin - you get the picture). They don't believe him until he shows/gives them proof.

“You know I don’t like this beach,” Joey reminded Lance. “It’s haunted.”

“It’s not haunted,” scoffed Lance. “It’s private.”

Sure enough, there was not another soul in sight. Joey looked around at the tall, rocky bluffs which surrounded them protectively. Then he glanced at Lance, who was pulling on his wet suit without a care in the world. “And why we have to come out here at ass o’clock in the morning is beyond me.”

“Best tide,” explained Lance with confidence as he inspected his surf board.

Joey still scanned the horizon. There was a spooky feeling in the air, prickling his skin like an electricity. “There!” he yelled suddenly, pointing into the crashing waves.

“There what?” asked Lance, trying to focus where Joey was pointing.

“Someone was out there,” insisted Joey. “He was riding a white horse at the water’s edge.”

“Dude, it was probably just a white cap. You’re seeing things.”

“I saw _him_!”

“This ghost or whatever? It only exists in your mind Joey. Let’s get out there while the surfing’s good.”

“I don’t know Lance. Maybe we should wait a bit.”

Lance waved off Joey’s concern and headed into the ocean with his surfboard. Joey watched him go, still searching the water for the man he had seen.

***

Lance had caught three good waves before he convinced Joey to join him in the water. Joey still didn’t feel completely safe, but Lance’s confidence was strong in the air. If Joey believed in anything, it was his friends. His friends and the strange man he only saw at this beach.

Sitting on their boards, far from shore, the pair waited for the next good wave. Joey listened as Lance prattled on about five new projects he was planning to start this month. Joey still scanned the water’s surface near the beach.

“There!” he shouted. “I saw him over there.”

“I don’t see anything, Joey.”

“He moved. He’s behind the rock.”

“Whatever. Maybe he wants to go surfing with us,” joked Lance. “Let’s head in, maybe he’ll meet you on the shore.”

Although it hurt Joey’s feelings that Lance didn’t believe him, he began considering that maybe he was seeing things after all. Usually if one of them was right, it was Lance. Joey sighed heavily, then started paddling after Lance. He stayed a few feet to the side of Lance and was already too late to catch the wave that Lance had caught. 

When he felt the next surge take his board, Joey sprang to his feet, balancing himself with his arms. He watched Lance ahead of him, until he lost his balance and fell from his board. A wall of water rained down over Joey’s head, pushing him under the surface. Joey tried to relax and let the water surge beneath him and push him back to the surface. Feeling the tug on his ankle, Joey looked in the direction of the pull until he saw his board nearby and swam over to it. More water rained down on him as he held tightly to his board.

After struggling back onto the board, Joey saw Lance far in the distance, unaware that Joey had fallen. Lying flat on the board, Joey began paddling toward the shore, keeping his sight focused on Lance except when the waves blocked his vision.

He bobbed up and saw Lance on his board, then bobbed down, seeing only water. Bobbed up and saw Lance on his board nearing the large rock, then bobbed down. Bobbed up and saw Lance on his board and a mass of white water around the rock, then bobbed down. Bobbed up and saw the man on the white horse following closely behind Lance, then bobbed down. Bobbed up and saw the man grab Lance and Lance struggling against him, then bobbed down. Bobbed up and saw the man wrestling Lance onto the horse, then bobbed down. Panicked, Joey tried to paddle faster and blinked his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. Bobbing up again, the man was gone. The horse was gone. Lance was gone.

When Joey finally made it to shore, he found Lance’s board abandoned, the cord cut and no sign of Lance. “I wonder if he believes in my ghost now?”

~END~  
01/07/07  
© 2007 by Jacie


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